Last year, your donations were used to purchase a new suite of technology for the Zendo, providing an improved experience for members joining us from home or other parts of the country. In addition to a dedicated computer and internet connection, we purchased a high-quality conference camera that provides a much clearer view of the zendo and allows us to much improved view of those presenting teachings. Then, to prepare for our return to a hybrid format, we purchased a large monitor which allows everyone in the Zendo to see and interact with members joining us over Zoom for more natural discussion.
These upgrades have significantly improved our ability to engage with members who are located in other parts of the country (as far away as Alaska!), and those who are not yet ready to return to in-person meetings. One group that is specifically benefitting from this is our annual cohort of Rakusu sewers!
As you may know, we have been inviting people to join our precepts and sewing class remotely since the start of the pandemic. Last fall, several members who completed their Rakusu during the pandemic received the precepts in a ceremony at Woodburn Hill Farm. This year, we have eight members sewing together. While a few are local, we have also been able to include members from other parts of the country. We support this process by mailing students’ sewing back and forth between teachers and students. Each leg of the journey costs around $10, for each of the 8 people, every other week. This is only possible through your generous donations, which also allow us to provide students with the cloth and thread used to sew each Rakusu.
Many of you have joined us for a retreat at Woodburn Hill Farm over the years. While ABZS has always had a close relationship with the farm, this year we took that a step further by acquiring several shares of ownership in the farm, formalizing our relationship. This was quite an expense, but it allows the sangha to have a vote in the direction of the farm, and the ownership interest provides opportunities to the sangha on the farm. After receiving our shares, we were approached by other shareholders interested in donating their shares to the sangha.
While this required some research and due diligence by the board, ABZS is happy to now accept donations of both private and publicly traded stocks. Shares donated in this way provide unique benefits for donors, and allow the sangha to benefit from the full market value of the shares. If you’d like to discuss this type of donation, or if you have an interest in directing stock donations while estate planning, please reach out and we’ll be happy to discuss it with you. See the side bar to contact our Treasurer Shōryū.